Diarmuid Mangan making rapid strides towards the top

It was always a case of ‘when’ Diarmuid Mangan would break into the Leinster team rather than ‘if’.

Even so, for him to describe the last 12 months since making his debut for the province away to Zebre as ‘decent’ must be one of the season’s understatements.

Mangan started his seventh match of Leinster’s season in last Saturday’s 41-17 win over Ulster and has played in six of the province’s last seven games, making his Champions Cup debut off the bench against Glasgow a week previously.

An athletic, skilful lock/backrow who was part of the Irish Under-20 team which won Grand Slams in 2022 and 2023 and also reached the World Under-20 Championship in 2023, in the midst of all this Mangan was also called up to the Irish senior squad during the Six Nations.